My Hearts Cry bible study, notes from Elizabeth’s teaching.
This week we looked at Matthew 26:36-46 where Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane and is asking God to take his cup. He was surrendering his burdens to the Lord and asked Him to take them because Jesus could not.
36Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 39Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” 40Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41″Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” 42He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” 43When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing. 45Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
The question is, “Where is God asking me to give up and let Him take over?” Here are steps in winning the battle of surrender.
1. Alone in the battle. I alone have to surrender. God is always with me spiritually, but I have to be the one to hand over whatever I am keeping control of.
2. Acknowledge Openly the Battle. This means that I have to express my sorrow in what I need to surrender. To say it out loud to someone. We had a powerful time of prayer at the end of our class. With a prayer partner, we prayed out loud what it is we are trying to keep control of and then immediately after, our prayer partner prayed for us too and vise versa.
3. Ask for Options in the Battle. God knows what we are holding onto and that it is difficult for us to let go, so pray that He would find ways for you to release. Ask God how He wants you to go about this… and be persistent. throughout the passage Jesus asks 3 times for God to take his cup, his burden. Jesus was persistent and her asked, knowing that God would help. He had full faith and trust in the Lord. Do you? Do I? Do I trust Him enough to give Him my burden?
4. Accept the Outcome of the Battle. At the end of verse 39, Jesus said “Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Remember that God is able to accomplish His will through you. You may pray one thing, but if it’s not in God’s will, it’s not going to happen, so pray that you will be accepting of what God has chosen to be best. Surrender is not easy or happy.
5. Advance in the Obedience of the Battle. Accept the will of God and know that they are greater than my desires. So, when I surrender my will it assures God’s victory in my life.
And when I mess up… Every time I mess up and do things on my own… He forgives me every time. His grace is enough for me.
This weeks Life Application is:
1. To identify that battle God is asking you to address at this moment. Commit it in writing.
2. Share your battle with your inner circle of prayer partners (a friend) and ask them to pray for your willingness to surrender your desires for what God wants.
3. Go before God in prayer this week and seek Him for any other options. Remember Mark 14:36. “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” Verbalize those prayers that you hesitate to pray in front of others. Be real before the Lord about how you feel.
4. Pray persistently that your will can be conformed to His will as you move toward accepting the outcome of your battle. Pray, “nevertheless, not my will, but Yours be done.”
Have a great week!
Melissa
